p. 554 | Why Not Be Silent? by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Dec 13, 1883

Why Not Be Silent?

By Editor

THEY ask us to keep silent about our Lord's second coming. "The people do not like to hear it, and they won't come, and we cannot keep up our congregation, if we make that prominent." Thus a few timid ones report to us, sometimes. Keep silent about the Lord's coming! Ask nature to give birth to a head with no body! Loathsome thought, say you; but, we reply, no more loathsome than to drop Christ's second coming from the gospel. Christ is the head, and the church is the body. So Paul represents the relation of Christ to the church. Christ, the head, has been "born from the dead," or in other words, he that was dead is "alive forevermore," having been raised personally from the grave and glorified bodily at his right hand. His church—his body—are all still under death's dominion, and will ever remain so unless Christ comes to "ransom them from the power of the grave." If we leave off that coming, we have a glorified "head," but no glorified "body." We need not dream that death will glorify the church, or bring it to God's right hand. Why not? Because death did not glorify Christ, nor did it take him to God's right hand. Three days and three nights did the Son of man lie in death's power, and after he was risen from Joseph's tomb, he declared that he had not yet ascended to his Father. If death neither glorified nor translated Christ to Heaven, think not that it will do for us what it could not do for him. The resurrection, translation, glory; that was God's order for Christ, and "the body" will follow the order of its Head. If Christ comes not, then no resurrection, no translation, no glory.

Keep silent about Christ's second coming! Ask the streams to run on, and on, and on, and never rest in their mother ocean. If Christ comes not, the streams of salvation, now running, will all evaporate, leaving but a dry river-bed of scorching sand, and never reach redemption's restful ocean of glory! Ask the author to hush his theme when he has given the title page, the preface, and the introductory chapter! Redemption's story is but introduced and outlined by Jesus' first advent; his second advent will complete the volume with thrilling raptures and with hallelujah song. Ask the architect to stay his temple when the foundation stones are laid, and the rude frame work is erected, while the shining finish, the dome, and the turrets are yet all wanting!

With no second coming of our Christ, how unfinished is redemption's temple. God has promised an end of sin and Satan, and they have come to no end. He has promised an end of thorn, and thistle, and curse upon earth; an end of pain and sorrow, and of death, and they have come to no end. He has promised an universal kingdom of immortality and glory, and no such kingdom has come. He has promised his saints a victorious shout over death when he shall take them out of their graves, but this song of triumph has not been permitted them yet. Must these redemptive promises fail? Yes, if Jesus comes not the second time. But he will come. Prophets sang it, apostles said and prayed it, angels shouted and echoed it, and Christ himself pledged it to loved and loving disciples. Ask us to be silent! Suppose we consent; we are small fry to settle with. Go hush the prophets; go keep the angels still about it; go and get Paul quiet about it; get Peter and James and John all silent about it; go, roll back in mute stillness to Heaven's bosom the voice of Alpha and Omega as he cries, "Behold, I come quickly!"—roll it back until it is no more for earth to hear; then come to us and we will be silent too, but not till then.—Pacific Missionary Advocate.